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Comment by aidenn0 | Hacker News Reader

"California" as a modifier to food generally means "with avocado"

If you get a "California burger" it will have avocado on it

According to the Chef who was born in Japan, he says they add "California" to names of things as a stand-in for any place in north America because they recognize California but may not recognize Vancouver or Podunk Washington, etc.

I would try a Podunk roll

Our local Piggly Wiggly has a sushi chef at the deli counter. I'm pretty sure you could find it there.

Hope you like geoduck.

Geoduck sushi is actually really good.

it's my favorite pokemon

If they called it a Vancouver roll, nobody could afford one.

Ah, but it's the other Vancouver.

Ah, the "just moved here from California" Roll.

a.k.a. Vantucky

There is a B.C. roll that is also claimed to be invented by Tojo: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.C._roll

""California" as a modifier to food generally means "with avocado""

I read that quickly, ignored the "to food" component, and then imagined all Californians walking around with an avocado in their pocket at all times...

Change "pocket" to backpack and my word, am I guilty... I have an invented breakfast I call "Breakfast of Champions" – just some plain popcorn with avocado and fresh-cracked pepper. Bonus: if I have nutritional yeast on hand. Delicious, nutrious, vegan, gluten-free, high fiber, etc. If I have emergency avocado in my backpack I can make this happen just about anywhere I spend the night.

Californian here. What, you don't have an avocado in your pocket at all times? Jokes aside, my wife pulled one out of her purse when we were out eating so she could add it to some food that was not already "Californian". You joke, but you're probably not far off....

Except in the case of the California burrito which typically adds French fries [1] into the mix

[1] https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/california-burrito/

In my experience a california burrito has french fries _and_ guac (avacado).

True as that is, when you ask for a cali burrito you’re really asking them to add fries. Not just guac

Somehow that is also French Tacos.

I figured someone would bring that up. However in my version of reality the abomination known as a "California burrito" does not exist.

And "Hawaii" as a modifier to food generally means with pineapple, appropriate or not.

Though, that makes me wonder what ingredient the other 48 states would add. Suggestions welcome.

> And "Hawaii" as a modifier to food generally means with pineapple

I associate it more with meaning "with spam".

That's a version of the Hawaiian Pizza that might not be a subject of debate.

What's interesting to me is that there seem to be a number of "Hawaii" dishes (involving pineapple) that all seem to date back to roughly the same timeframe (1950s) but seem to have very different origin stories.

For example, "Toast Hawaii" appeared in Germany in 1955, consisting of a slice of toasted white bread, one or two slices of cooked ham, a pineapple ring, a slice of processed cheese and a cocktail cherry, baked in an oven. Interestingly, I've read that that dish may be derived from an American "grilled spamwich" (but spam was not availble in Germany at the time). Likewise, "Steak Hawaii" (as well as "Schnitzel Hawaii") involves baking with pineapple rings and cheese.

I'm guessing someone somewhere associated cheese and pineapple with Hawaii in the 1950s as part of the general obsession with Hawaiian-inspired culture (e.g. tiki torches, fake lei garlands, ukuleles and luau-themed garden parties) and it caught on as an "exotic" twist on home cooking internationally (despite Hawaii and pineapples otherwise having no clear relation).

I think Hawaii was historically the largest producer of pineapple in the US, which may explain the association.

A texas roll would incorporate smoked beef in some way

And adding "French" as a modifier to food generally means with egg yolks.

"Swiss" would mean melted cheese

For a slightly more international version: Dutch should then mean that it is anything between two slices of bread with cheese in there somewhere.

* kentucky -> with bourbon

* texas -> supersized

* chicago (close enough) -> with green sweet pickle relish

"new york" - with garlic

When I was in Australia about ten years back, McDonald's was running a promo called "Tastes of America" with three themed burgers that were about what you'd expect: the California one had avocado and aioli or something, the Texas had salsa and onions, and the New York burger had extra pickles and garlic.

* Maine -> lobster

* Idaho -> potato

* Louisiana (or just New Orleans) -> Cajun spices

I think of a "chicago dog" as a hotdog with (among other things) a pickle on top instead of relish. Not sure where I got that idea though.

Waiting for "California toast" to become the official food of Millennials...

California patch - shoddy drywall patch technique.

California stop - not quite full stop

Slight hint of derision anytime CA is added, I would say.

That’s so funny because my wife will only eat the California roll but without avocado. She doesn’t like raw fish or avocado. So I will often order “the California roll, hold the avocado (and wasabi and ginger)”

so just rice and seaweed and imitation crab

And cucumbers

There is a fast food chain in China based on Californian beef noodle soup. It isn’t exactly Pho, but no avocado to be seen.

They serve Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Obvious reasons why they opted for California branding instead.

> They serve Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Obvious reasons why they opted for California branding instead.

How depressingly very China of them, what are Hong Kong noodles called: 1 country 1 system illegally annexed under extreme violence and duress noodles?

Keep in mind that this chain is > 20 years old (was there in 2002 when I studied at PKU). There is a lot of Taiwan food in the mainland these days that isn't labelled covertly.

I was at PKU around that time too, ate at the shop in Haidian book city a couple times. Apparently they rebranded https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Lee_(restaurant)

Unless it’s a dish that would already often have avocado, e.g. a California burrito is a burrito with French fries.

Used to be 100% true, but now there's legal weed in some states.

A California burrito means it has… French fries in it.

I thought it just meant with lettuce tomato onion

not at all. California burrito just means with french fries, and that's one of the most common uses.

That's a San Diego Burrito. A San Franicsco (Mission) burrito, for example, does not have french fries but has Avocado/guacamole.

This is Taqueria Zorro’s erasure and I will not stand for it :D

it's not a San Diego burrito. it's never called that on any menu, and dozens of Mexican restaurants have "California burrito", which is fries. avocado is often not in them at all.

But no place in the mission calls them California burritos. It’s just a burrito. Vs I have had California burritos in San Francisco that are called that because of the French fries.

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